Chattanooga schools expand training for growing hotel and restaurant industries

Chattanooga schools are trying to become more hospitable to one of the region’s biggest industries.

Chattanooga State Community College and five Hamilton County high schools are expanding their hospitality training programs with new culinary, tourism and management courses to help feed the talent needs of area restaurants, hotels and attractions.

“The hotel and restaurant businesses are growing in Chattanooga and they told us they are looking for a stronger bench of talent,” says Dan Zink, corporate training and continuing education manager at Chattanooga State. “When we talked with the hospitality industry about corporate training it became clear they needed a management program to help fill their talent pipeline.”

In December, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved a new stand-alone degree program in hospitality and tourism management at Chattanooga State. The new degree program offers concentrations in hotels, food and beverage, tourism and culinary arts.

“Teaching leadership will be a big component of all the classes.” Zink says. “The industry is known for having fun and active jobs and our intention is to make the classes fun and active as well.”

Audrey Butler, a 19-year-old graduate of Signal Mountain High School, took one of the initial introductory courses last fall and came away even more convinced of her interest in becoming a wedding planner. Butler was one of the students who toured area hotels, restaurants and a riverboat to learn about the industry and how it is managed.

“We got to see first hand how the businesses are marketed and managed and the organization and discipline it takes to run these operations,” Butler said. “I plan on eventually going to UTC, but Chattanooga State is a cheaper way for me to get the introductory courses and help me decide what direction to pursue.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are nearly 25,000 jobs in metropolitan Chattanooga at area restaurants, hotels and related businesses. In its occupational outlook for 2012-2022, BLS estimates that hospitality jobs could grow up to 33 percent in a decade. With Chattanooga named as one of the “Top 45 Places to go” by the New York Times and “Best Town Ever” by Outside Magazine, Chattanooga State Dean Barry Jennison said “students interested in a hospitality and tourism career need look no further than their hometown to begin their educational journey.”

Chattanooga high schools also are expanding their culinary and hospitality programs to meet the growing labor needs of the industry. Culinary and hospitality programs are now offered at Brainerd and Ooltewah high schools and soon will be expanded to Hixson and Howard high schools and a new virtual enterprise course is also being added at East Hamilton High School.

“Here in Chattanooga, this is a viable career for our graduates, whether they go directly to work and go on to get more training at Chattanooga State or other colleges,” says David Cowan, director of career and technical education for the Hamilton County Schools. “There are a lot of job opportunities and, as the hospitality industry gets more high-tech, we think we can provide the training to put kids in real career positions relatively quickly. This has a real potential for our area to be a strong pathway for our graduates.”

Cowan expects eventually to have about 75 students enrolled in the program at each of the five high schools.

Graduates from the high school programs will be certified through the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program (HTMP), developed by industry experts and members of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

This story first appeared in Edge magazine. Read more stories in Edge at www.meetsforbusiness.com